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| Tom Kabau and Esther Kabau-Wanyoike the brother and sister of Kenyan George Kabau who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash sit next to his picture during a news conference where their lawyers announced they plan to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Boeing, at the Serene hotel in Nairobi, Kenya April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner |
A Kenyan family has filed a lawsuit in Chicago against American aviation giant Boeing over a March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, lawyers and family members said on Tuesday.
Siblings of 29-year-old engineer George Kabau said they wanted to force the company to release documents and emails relating to its 737 MAX 8 model, which was grounded worldwide after two major plane crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
A preliminary report released earlier this month indicated Ethiopian Airlines pilots wrestled with a computer system that repeatedly ordered the nose down because of faulty sensor data. The same system was a focus of the preliminary report into the October Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people.
Dozens of families are already suing Boeing over the Lion Air crash, and three lawsuits have already been lodged over the Ethiopian Airlines crash, by the families of two Americans, including consumer activist Ralph Naderโs great niece, and a Rwandan.
Lion Airโs co-founder on Monday lashed out at Boeingโs handling of the accidents.
Kabuaโs sister, Esther Kabau-Wanyoike, choked up as she told a press conference that she wanted to use her brotherโs death to improve aviation safety.
โHe didnโt leave a child. My mum is devastated,โ she said. โWe can use his demise to ensure safer travel for all.โ
U.S. lawyer Nomi Husain, who is also representing one of the American families, said the lawsuit was filed in Chicago late on Monday. The family was seeking to hold Boeing accountable, he said.
โWe want to let the litigation process play out,โ he said. โWhen you put profits over safety, you will be held accountable and you will pay a price.โ
Boeing, which has previously declined to comment on individual lawsuits, and directed enquiries about the crash to investigating authorities, had no immediate comment on the latest case.
Kenya had the largest number of citizens on the flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. At least 32 Kenyans were on board, the airline said at the time, although that number may be larger because some of the travellers were dual nationals and the full manifest has still not been released.
REUTERS
